Over the next few days, all of Stinnard remained quiet, while Green found himself swamped with work.
Following Cyrabelle's orders, the estates of the nobles and capitalists who had died at Edis Prison were seized, inventoried, and prepared for transport. Disguised as ordinary cargo, they were sent back to the Main World through the Space-Time Gate beneath the Royal Palace.
The Anomalies Bureau handled all that; Green did not need to do it himself. What demanded his personal attention were the factories and warehouses.
Emma Hart's Kobold Zombies once again served as ready-made laborers. They swept through the factories on the outskirts of Stinnard City like a plague of locusts, dismantling machinery. Green then summoned Cyclopes to act as living cranes and carry the heavy machines back to the Graveyard.
But having the machines was one thing. Restoring production would take much longer.
They needed new sites, factory buildings, installed machinery, and a great many skilled workers. None of it could be done overnight.
Green knew there was no point rushing. Someone else, however, could not wait.
Ever since he had mentioned Marquis Bell's secret warehouses to Green, Major Bolton had been waiting for a reply. Yet several days had passed without a word, as though Green had forgotten the matter entirely.
At first, Major Bolton had been certain. There was no cat in the world that would turn down a taste of fish. A marquis's wealth, converted into Gold Pounds, would run to nearly ten million—a fortune enough to drive many people mad.
But as time passed, doubt crept in. Had Green been too busy and forgotten? Was there some other reason? Why had he not summoned Bolton after all these days?
Major Bolton went from brimming with confidence to fretting over every possibility. At last, he could bear